Research in the German Chemical Sector has Reached its Highest Level

BERLIN and TOKYO, November 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

8th Japan-Germany Industry Forum 2012 in Tokyo

BASF has announced the establishment of a new 50 million euro laboratory building to generate additional impulses for material research. Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for New Materials have developed a spray-on coating that includes properties of ceramic materials while remaining flexible. The ZSW, a research institute in Ulm, has managed to build, with the support of the industry alliance KLiB, a research facility that focuses on the process development of high-performance batteries for manufacturing production. These three examples confirm Germany's position as a successful center for R & D in the field of chemical industry. At the Japan-Germany Industry Forum 2012 on November 16 in Tokyo, the latest opportunities for industrial cooperation between Germany and Japan will be discussed. The main topic of this year's forum is "New Markets through New Materials: Challenges for the Chemical Industry."

"Germany is the world's largest exporter of chemicals and Europe's preferred address for investments in the chemical industry. The successful exploration and development of new materials also contributes to Germany's attractiveness. There is no doubt of the interesting possibilities for cooperation between German and Japanese companies," says Dr. Thorsten Bug, chemical industry expert at Germany Trade & Invest in Berlin. Japan and Germany find themselves in second and third place in terms of registered chemical patents.

There is a long history of successful business relations between Japan and Germany. Approximately 1,000 Japanese companies are located in Germany. Trade between the two nations is flourishing. In the first half of 2012, exports to Japan, compared to the same period a year before, rose by almost 20 percent to 8.4 billion euros. The percentage of chemical exports was nearly a quarter of all exports. Imports from Japan in the first half of 2012 summed up to 11.2 billion euros, remaining relatively constant with the first half of 2011 (11.7 billion euros).

Germany Trade & Invest is the foreign trade and inward investment agency of the Federal Republic of Germany. The organization advises foreign companies seeking to expand into the German market. It supports German companies that seek to enter foreign markets, with foreign trade information.